“The Scuba Diving Duo” by Madison Burns, a student at Sedgwick Middle School in West Hartford, was released earlier this summer.
By Kaily Martinez
Two years ago, Madison Burns found two Christmas decorations featuring a pair of divers representing her parents.
Shortly after seeing her parents’ two ornaments, Madison, a teenager living in West Hartford, was inspired to write a book. After much time, effort and dedication, “The diving duo“ by the now-soon-to-be seventh-grader was finally released on Amazon earlier this summer.
Since Madison Burns is under 18, publishing the book was a bit difficult. Madison and her mother, Jaimie Burns, realized they could not shop at independent bookstores because she is underage. However, Madison’s aunt recommended Kindle Direct PublishingAmazon’s self-publishing option.
“Madison really inspires us. She’s extremely determined to want to help and make a difference in the world, and she’s also very passionate about writing, so it was really impressive to see how she was able to put those two things together,” said Jaimie Burns.
“The Scuba Diving Duo” by Madison Burns. Photo credit: Kaily Martinez
Readers are introduced to one of the main characters, Nya, a young girl who is on her first day of high school after a long period of homeschooling. Nya encounters a group of mean girls who constantly tease her because they find her weird. What they don’t know, however, is that Nya has a secret that gives her the ability to breathe underwater.
While Nya is one of the main characters, the perspective regularly switches to the other main character, David, a teenager who is also almost certainly struggling with bullies at school.
As time goes on, Nya and David fall in love and learn how to “nurture” their relationship. Nya’s overprotective father and an erupting argument will compel readers to read more.
In an interview, Madison said that the novel took a long time to write. She devoted a year to writing and about half a year to editing. “Editing is the worst part,” she admitted. But the end product was worth the effort.
“The Scuba Diving Duo” was dedicated to her great-grandmother. Photo credit: Kaily Martinez
Madison decided to donate part of the book’s proceeds to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Societya nonprofit marine conservation organization dedicated to protecting the endangered vaquita porpoise, one of Madison’s favorite animals.
“I was really proud of myself because I’ve always wanted to share my ideas with the world. When I was younger, I felt like I couldn’t really help the vaquitas, but now I’m educating people about them and helping them a little bit,” Madison said.
Ever since Madison was little, she wanted to help endangered species, Jaimie Burns said. Not only has she helped them, but she’s shown that no matter how old you are, you can still make a difference in the world, Burns continued.
While her debut novel doesn’t delve particularly deeply into the subject of the vaquita porpoise, Madison writes another book that does. Her second novel is about a girl named Emma, an undercover spy who works to save the vaquita porpoise.
Readers ages 10 to 16 should enjoy “The Scuba Diving Duo,” a romantic science fiction novel with hints of Greek mythology. “But I think anyone can enjoy the book if they want to,” Madison said.
“The Scuba Diving Duo” by Madison Burns. Photo credit: Kaily Martinez
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